Gem State Wire

There were 47 deaths with cancer listed as the underlying cause reported in Idaho during the week ending July 2, 2022, a 24.2% decrease from the previous week, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the week ending July 2, 2022, there were 293 deaths in the state. 21.8% of deaths were caused by heart disease, 16% were from cancer and 9.6% were from COVID-19. Additionally, 8.2% of deaths were from Alzheimer's disease and dementia.

Studies show doctors and medical examiners may underreport Alzheimer's disease and dementia-related conditions as the underlying cause of death on death certificates, according to the National Institute on Aging.

Once infected, older adults with dementia are likely to develop a more severe and dangerous illness. The diseases which make an older adult more vulnerable to COVID-19 are age-associated chronic conditions, according to the Bright Focus Foundation.

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending July 2, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 25, 2022
Heart disease	64	63
Malignant neoplasms (cancerous tumor)	47	62
Chronic lower respiratory diseases	17	18
COVID-19 (multiple cause)	15	13
COVID-19 (underlying cause)	13	10
Cerebrovascular diseases	11	11
Alzheimer's disease	10	20
Influenza and pneumonia	< 10	< 10
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis	< 10	< 10
Diabetes mellitus	< 10	< 10

Cause of Death	Deaths in Week Ending July 2, 2022	Deaths in Week Ending June 25, 2022
Alzheimer disease and dementia	24	34